Washboard.



H. G. HORNUNG.

WASHBOARD.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25, 1908.

Patented Dec. 22,1908.

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HENRY O. HORNUNG, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

WASHIBOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

Application filed August 25, 1908. Serial No. 450,165.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, HENRY C. H RNUNG, citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in VVashboards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to washboards and .particularly to that type of Washboards constructed with a view of contributing to economy in the use of soap incidental to the Washing of clothes; and it consists in the peculiar and advantageous washboard hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the claim appended.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification: Figure l is a perspective view illustrative of the washboard constituting a practical embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the washboard. Fig. 3 is an enlarged, detail section, taken in the plane indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 2, and showing the relative arrangement of the rollers, the follower, the springs and the spring bar comprised in my improvements and also illustrating a piece of soap as properly interposed between the rollers and the follower. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view showing the follower as removed from its casing.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which:

A is the main frame of my novel Washboard which is shown as comprising side bars a and an upper cross-bar b, but which may obviously be of any other construction without affecting my invention as claimed.

Secured in a suitable manner between the bars a and b of the main frame A is a rubbing body B which may also be of any construction consonant with the purpose of my invention, and at a suitable point in the said body B is fixed a casing C. The said casing C is preferably arranged in the upper right hand corner of the body B and in its front portion a plurality of rollers D, of Wood or other suitable material, are arranged one above the other and adapted to freely rotate.

In the rear portion of the casing G is removably arranged a follower E, and on the back of the said follower is fixed a horizontal bar F which serves for the connection of rearwardly bowed springs G having eyes 5/ loosely receiving the bar F, and also -having their ends remote from the said bar free and arranged to bear against and move longitudinally on the back of the follower E. The said springs G are interposed between the follower E and a cross-bar H, removably arranged in staples or eyes /L on the side walls of the casing C at the rear thereof, and

consequently it will be manifest that when a piece of soap, indicated by I, is arranged in the casing G and interposed between the follower E and the set of rollers D, the said bowed springs F will yieldingly press the follower against the soap and the soap against the set of rollers to compensate for the portion of soap taken up by the rollers and used, and in the said manner will assure an adequate supply of soap to the rollers D until the piece of soap is entirely used. It will also be manifest that when the crossbar H is removed from the staples or eyes it, the follower E is left free to be removed from the casing C, and when this is done a fresh piece of soap may be placed in the casing C from the rear and afterwards the follower E and the crossbar I-I may be rearranged in the casing C in the manner and for the purpose before set forth. It will be further understood in this connection that by virtue of the arrangement of the springs F relative to the follower E and the crossbar H, the said springs will automatically accommodate themselves to the thickness of the piece of soap I with the result that the piece of soap will be pressed against the rollers D to a sufficient extent not only when the piece of soap is thick and of considerable bulk, but also when the piece of soap is reduced in thickness because of part thereof being taken up on the rollers D incidental to the use of the board and the soaping of clothes.

The specific construction and arrangement of the springs F is advantageous not only because of the simplicity and durability of the said springs but also because the ability of the free ends of the springs to move longitudinally against the back of the follower E enables the springs to accommodate themselves to the thickness of the piece of soap between the follower and the set of rollers D.

In the practical use of my novel washboard the wet clothes are rubbed over the rollers D and are soaped in that way with the result that the necessity of the washerwoman handlingthe soap is obviated, and the soap is maintained in a dry state and waste thereof is effectually prevented.

In addition to the practical advantages hereinbefore ascribed to my novel washboard it will be noted that the board is simple and inexpensive in construction and is well adapted to withstand the usage to which washboards are ordinarily subjected.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

A Washboard comprising a rubbing body having an opening extending from the front of the board to the back thereof, a plurality of rollers mounted one above the other in the forward portion of said opening, a follower movable in the opening and disposed back of the rollers and having a bar fixed on its rear side, eyes arranged on the rear side of the board at opposite sides of the opening,

a cross-bar removably arranged in said eyes and bridging the opening, and a rearwardly bowed spring pivoted at one end to the bar on-the follower and extending between the follower and the cross-bar and having an outwardly bent, free end portion bearing against the rear side of the follower and movable in the direction of the length of the spring against said follower.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY G. HORNUNG. Witnesses: x

A. PARMLEE, LOUIS P. BRYANT. 

